


Korr-Ice-Ami

by Writerleft



Series: Comes Marching Home [41]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Korrasami Month 2018, Sports
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-01 19:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17249822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerleft/pseuds/Writerleft
Summary: An unexpected challenge from an unexpected source sees our girls put to the test!(Some nice fluff the round out the year!)Note: Apparent discrepancies in a character's gender presentation from canon are discussed and developed in an earlier fic in this timeline.





	Korr-Ice-Ami

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Picmonster50](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Picmonster50/gifts).



Asami had her hands clasped behind her, pushing her leg out with each stroke of her ice skates. A moment ago, she and Korra had been holding hands, but somehow, without a word passing between them, without even a glance, one of them had sped up, and then the other, and soon enough it was a race. Korra was on her right, and pulling just ahead--but that was all Asami’s plan, as the end of the rink was rushing up before them and she was in the way of Korra’s turn.

Asami arced as tight as her momentum would allow, angling to glide within inches of the wall. Her inside angle allowed her to pull ahead, but the loud _thud_ of a Korra-sized impact on the wall made sure of it. Asami spun, allowing momentum to carry her backwards as she assessed the damage to her fiance. Miraculously, Korra was still on her feet, and looked more embarrassed than injured, though she was rubbing her right arm. Hopefully the layers of fur had provided some padding. “Sorry,” Asami said.

“I’m gonna get you back for that,” Korra promised, kicking herself Asami’s way.

Asami cut a loop to bring herself back parallel with Korra, locking arms with her. “You know I can’t abide anybody going faster than I am.”

“I like that about you--but I wish you’d responded by going faster, instead of setting me up for a fight with the wall.”

“Oh, I knew you’d win.”

Korra snorted. “Still, we’ve got a few days of our vacation left, and I’d rather Eska and Desna don’t kick us out of their special arena for roughhousing.”

“I doubt that’ll happen,” Asami chuckled. “They seemed awfully keen on us enjoying the arena to begin with. In fact, when they called to suggest the trip, they were oddly specific about asking if I knew how to ice skate.”

“Which is almost as odd as them calling to suggest our trip to begin with,” Korra said. “Not that I’m complaining.”

Korra craned over, lifting one foot off the ice to give herself the reach for a kiss. Asami kissed her back, both for the sheer joy of it as well as the specific test of Korra’s athleticism. How long could she balance on one foot like that?

“They seem to be in a pleasant mood,” a Eska said, gliding effortlessly alongside them. “I told you they would enjoy this activity.”

“I am surprised Ms. Sato is so proficient,” Desna said. “Given the temperate climate of your homeland, I would not have expected she would get much time on the ice.”

“She’s full of surprises,” Korra said, squeezing Asami’s arm.

“And so are the two of you,” Asami added. “I have to admit, we never expected an invitation to come visit, and we’ve had a wonderful time.”

The sisters looked at each other. “That is… fortunate,” Eska said. “While hosting company is typically tiresome, we have both some to realize that there is… some… wisdom… in maintaining strong relationships.”

“Perhaps this would be an embarrassing moment to reveal our ulterior motive,” Desna said.

Eska sighed. “Perhaps. But I would prefer to be forthright.”

Asami and Korra shared a glance. “Is… there something else going on?”

The twins both sighed. “We were hoping to ask you…” Desna began.

“...for a favor,” Eska continued for her. “A minor thing, really.”

“We think you may even enjoy it,” Desna finished.

Korra chuckled. “I’m the Avatar, your cousin, _and_ your friend. Of course I’ll help.”

“We were actually hoping for the both of you,” Eska said.

Asami blinked, three sets of eyes suddenly upon her. “Well… that would depend upon the nature of the favor, I suppose.”

Desna turned toward Korra. “She is a most reasonable woman. My congratulations.”

“Uh, yeah,” Korra said. “Definitely that’s the reason we’re getting married.”

“What _is_ the favor?” Asami asked. She liked the twins, after a fashion, but they could be particularly trying to talk to.

“Come with us,” they said, pivoting in unison and gliding across the ice with as much ease as breathing.

“There’s been talk among our advisers that our people do not connect well with us,” Eska explained, leading them to a tunnel  “They say we come off as cold and distant.”

“And they say that as if it is a _bad_ thing,” Desna scoffed. “We are their rulers, not their friends.”

“Indeed. But logical or not, it is beneficial for us to be viewed favorably among our people.”

“That’s… true,” Korra said, her eyes asking Asami if she had any idea where this might be headed.

“So, you want us to do something to make your people like you more?” Asami asked. “Like, a photo op of some sort? An endorsement?”

“Not precisely,” Desna said, leading them out of the tunnel and into another rink. This one had colored lines in the ice, and bleachers behind thick nets surrounding the entire icy expanse. At each end of the long rectangle, there was a narrow net sunk into the ice.

“Cousin Korra,” Eska said, “much of your popularity came from your short pro-bending career. And we are told that one aspect of both your lives that polls best with common people is your love of physical contests.”

“You mean… people like sports,” Korra said. “You needed advisers to tell you that?”

“Yes,” Desna said. “How else were we to know these things?”

Asami squeezed Korra’s hand. They’d both had lonely childhoods, but Desna and Eska… who knew how Unalaq had treated them? The fact that they were as well-adjusted as they were was a minor miracle. “So, you want us to teach you some sports?”

Eska and Desna looked at each other. “Quite the opposite,” Eska said, guiding them into a staging area for teams. “There is a sport that has become popular with the common folk in our tribe. I believe it is called ‘hookey.’”

“Hookey?” Asami asked. Korra pushed a breath out her nostrils, what Asami recognized as a stifled laugh.

“Yes,” Desna said, pulling hooked sticks out of a locker and handing one to each of them. “We find it dreadfully boring, but people seem quite taken with it.”

“I’m told the arena is standing room only during games,” Eska said. “Right now, though, there are surely only a few resting families and only a couple of reporters.”

“There are always reporters where we go,” Desna sighed.

“It’s dreadful,” Eska added.

Korra held one of the hookey sticks in both hands, squinting at the curved edge. “So, what, we chase each other around and try to pull each other over?”

The twins shared a blink. “No,” Desna said. “Obviously. Perhaps the Southern tribe is more barbarous than we remembered.”

“Be fair,” Eska said. “This sport has its share of violence.”

“I suppose _something_ must punctuate the boredom,” said Desna.

“So--I’m sorry--” Asami interrupted. “So your idea is, you two want to play the two of us in this sport, so your people find you more relatable?”

They each gave a single nod. “Officially,” Eska added, “the purpose would be to strengthen our bonds of friendship.”

The twins laughed at this, a sound which, no matter how familiar one became with them, would always be unsettling.

“We can’t promise to go easy on you, though,” Korra says. “If we’re gonna play, we’re going to play to win.”

“Of course,” Desna said, handing her a padded helmet. “That is the point of any competitive exercise, is it not?”

“In fact,” Korra said, examining the her stick nonchalantly, “why don’t we make it interesting? Add a little wager, let’s say?”

The twins stopped, turning toward Korra. “A wager?” Desna said.

“This may be interesting after all,” Eska added.

It was too late to derail the wager talk, so Asami simply smirked and listened. There wasn’t anything she and Korra couldn’t overcome, after all.

The twins proceeded to explain the rules--get the puck into the other team’s goal, collisions are fine but no fighting. It all sounded simple enough, and after she and Korra had each had a couple minutes practice moving the puck around and slapping it with the sticks, Asami even saw the appeal. The fast pace, the constant motion, the need to calculate speed and momentum and angle all on the fly while others did all they could to hinder you…

“Let’s do this,” Korra said, sliding up to the center of the ice, giving Asami a wink. “We can be The Republic City Raiders, and you guys--”

Eska’s stick darted in, flipping the puck between Korra’s legs. Korra wobbled back, startled, while Desna was already behind her, to catch the puck and take it down range.

“Guess we’ve started!” Asami said, chasing after, ignoring Korra’s look of bewilderment. It was far too late to stop Desna from scoring, but Asami watched how she moved, and Eska too, and while their handling of the puck itself was no better than her or Korra, their movement on the ice and coordination was impeccable.

Desna gave her stick a push, the puck tumbled into the net, and when she turned to pass Eska they each raised a hand to high five the other.

“That appears to be how it is done,” Eska said.

“Indeed,” Desna agreed.

“Not fair!” Korra cried.

1-0

They returned to the center, Desna tossing the puck up in the air. Asami and Korra both had their game faces on now, and Asami knew Korra was going to go for possession. Asami instead went to the side, trusting Korra to get the puck, and wanting to be available for a pass. Korra captured the puck first, muscling through Desna--

Only for Eska to glide in and snatch it from her.

Asami had seen her moving, and wasn’t far behind. She might not have the twins’ grace or experience, but her speed allowed her to interpose herself between Eska and the goal--

But not between Eska and Desna, who had somehow put herself into position to receive a pass, and again score a point.

Korra was at mid-field, working her way back, and looked ready to snap her stick in half.

2-0

They attempted a different tactic, for the third...skirmish? It certainly felt like an appropriate word. Asami hung back, ready to intercept one of Korra’s cousins if the puck came her way, or speed up into the fray if not. Korra slammed her stick beside the puck as soon as it landed, hard enough Asami was afraid the stick or ice might crack, but immediately had one of the twins on either side of her. Before she could get even a few feet toward the goal, Eska and Desna both peeled off, each in an opposite direction.

Asami recognized her mistake immediately, moving as if to intercept the one with the puck, but knowing it would only take a simple pass to get around her. She and Eska rushed toward each other far faster than Asami expected, and Asami was prepared to block the pass, even take the puck from her, just wait for Eska to line it--

And somehow Eska had gotten past her, knocking the puck _away_ from Desna, then recollecting it herself before depositing it, again, in the goal.

3-0

“Alright!” Korra shouted, sliding up into the twins’ single-high-five celebration. “Is this a scam? How much have you played this game before?”

“I assure you, we have not,” Desna said.

“Perhaps you must simply try harder, cousin,” Eska added. She was as monotone as ever, but Asami couldn’t help but interpret it as trash talk.

“I’ll show you harder!”

This time, Asami was closer forward, shadowing Eska’s maneuvers to keep her unavailable for any passing. Desna got the puck, but Korra turned and was right with her. For the first time, Korra had control and was barreling over the ice.

Eska disengaged from Asami, ducking down and spinning impossibly low, while Asami’s own momentum pulled her away. That freed Eska up to pounce in, steal the puck with no effort, pass it down to Desna, and

4-0

Asami ground her teeth as they returned to mid-court. “If your people like this sport, you’re in luck.” She tried to sound magnanimous. “You’re naturals at this.”

“Indeed,” Eska said.

“Perhaps this is why people who do not think we can hear them refer to us as the ‘Ice Twins.’”

They laughed again, sounding like a couple of squawking otter-seals.  

Korra got more aggressive, more and more willing to shoulder-check her cousins to get or keep the puck, but neither offered any complaint, nor seemed to consider it much of an added difficulty.

5-0

6-0

7-0

Asami became progressively more nimble, trying to predict where everybody was going to be, moment to moment, but failing to come across any patterns or any areas to attack.

8-0

9-0

10-0

They tried both being aggressive, with Korra clearing Asami’s path.

11-0

Asami in the lead, Korra receiving

12-0

13-0

By now, a moderate crowd had gathered, to watch Asami and Korra utterly embarrass themselves on the ice. Sure enough, cameras flashed her and there, and Asami had no doubt she’d see some embarrassing moments circulating in the papers back home.

That did nothing to help their mood--or their success. 

By the time they got to 19-0, the Ice Twins’ celebratory high-fives had vanished, and the two of them looked bored. “Truly, sister, I expected more more of a challenge,” Eska said.

“Indeed,” said Desna. “I did not anticipate that playing would be even more dull than watching.”

"Perhaps we should go easier on them," Eska suggested. 

"Don't you _dare_ ," Korra growled. 

Korra and Asami’s eyes met. They knew they were outclassed, comprehensively. They'd been improving, but so had Eska and Desna. There was no denying it. Even worse, Korra and Asami were used to being the most in-sync duo around, but Eska and Desna may have actually had them beat. 

But they refused to go down easy. That one glance, and it was agreed. 

Eska dropped the puck, and Korra snatched it, then slapped it with all her might straight between her cousins.

It rocketed across the ice, nowhere near the goal--but in the clear. Asami was already streaking after it, hoping to gain enough of a head start to actually get a chance at the goal.

Desna and Eska responded quickly, gliding after her like birds of prey, waiting for their opening. Asami had the puck, but was too far to the side for a shot, to pass to Korra, anything. Eska swooped in, and Asami tucked the puck between her feet and spun in place protecting it for a split second while the bewildered Eska glided just out of reach.

Asami had just enough time to drop the stick between her legs and tip the puck toward Korra in the most stiff and awkward maneuver possible--but it worked.

Korra was plowing toward the goal, Desna right on her flank. Korra got the puck, but Asami saw Eska circling to get in the way. Asami pumped her legs, building moment as fast as she could…

Asami plowed into Eska, sending them both spinning and clearing Korra’s path. Asami was too disoriented to hear what happened, but she heard a crash and clatter and laughter from the stands.

When Asami finally reoriented herself, she saw Korra, legs tangled with the net, climbing up the goal to get back on her feet. She was okay. Everyone was okay.

And the puck was in the goal.

“Yes!” Asami yelped, jumping into the air as if she weren’t on ice skates, then falling on her butt as if she were.

“I… suppose the two of you earned that one,” Eska said, blinking down on her. “Do you believe you can replicate that 19 times?”

“Not remotely,” Asami said, rubbing her sore bottom. “I’m pretty sure we’re done.”

“Yes--that final display notwithstanding, you must admit this was a trifle one-sided.”

Asami chuckled, using her stick to get back to her feet. “It sure was. Twenty points, but there’s only one of them that anybody is going to remember.”

Eska blinked. “But… you lost.”

Korra slid over to her, hunched a bit to one side, but her smile was wide and her eyes were bright, and her voice was a song. “Did you see that, Asami! Can you believe it!?”

“Losing is a matter of perspective,” Asami told Eska, pulling Korra into a hug.

“It is a matter of mathematics,” Desna replied. “You lost the wager, you will be coming to the game tomorrow night dressed exactly as we are.”

“And Asami will wear it better than any of us,” Korra said with confidence.

“We helped you guys out, and we got some new memories,” Asami said. “You two played fantastically, and I think you might really be able to endear yourselves to people if you kept up with the sport. But as far as I see it, everybody here won.”

“That… no,” said Eska. “You speak in metaphors. We were the actual winners.”

“I didn’t think the match actually mattered to you,” Korra said.

“It… doesn’t,” Eska insisted, frowning.

Desna sighed. “Family is confusing.”

“Indeed.”

“Worth it, though,” Korra said. “As for now, I’m starving--I bet you two we can beat you at dinner.”

“Beat us at… dinner?” Desna asked.

“Meals are not competitive,” Eska said.

“You just beat Korra at something,” said Asami. “Until she restores _that_ particular balance, _everything_ is going to be competitive.”

The twins looked at each other. “We… forfeit?” said Eska.

“That means you’re paying!” Korra said. “You’re _so_ gonna regret that!”

Asami chuckled, one hand on Korra’s back for comfort and steadiness, while she extended the other. “Well played though, you two. Thanks for the game.”

“You are welcome,” Eska said, shaking her hand.

Asami saw cameras snapping, and smiled to herself. Hopefully _that_ would be the picture that made the papers.

“In fact,” Asami continued, “This was fun enough, I’m going to look into sponsoring a league in Republic City. There may be a day down the road where we’ll invite you to visit, and when it does--”

“Ooh, rematch?” Korra asked.

Asami sighed--she’d wanted to build up to that. “Potentially, yeah.”

Desna chuckled. “When that day comes, the Ice Twins will be there.”

**Author's Note:**

> With some sneaky consultation from the person I wrote this fic for! I've been meaning to for a while, I know you've had a rough go at it lately. I decided to put two things you love together--I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
